Thats the question that zeke pappas, a thirtythreeyearold scholar, asks almost everybody he meets as part of an obsessive project, the inventory of american unhappiness. Bakopoulos was born and raised in metro detroit, which is the setting of his first novel, please dont come back from the moon harcourt, 2005, a new york times notable book. My american unhappiness focuses largely on zekes search for a wife by turns, hilarious, awkward, awful and endearing but zekes love for his nieces is the beating heart of this book. My american unhappiness is the a fiction story of zeke pappas who is a widowed man working on an oral history of the inventory of american unhappiness. She can be found blogging away at my thoughts exactly. Thats the question that zeke pappas, a thirtythreeyearold scholar. My favorite moments reading nonfiction are when a book bitchslaps my brain and. In bakopouloss wan second novel after please dont come back from the moon, zeke pappas, the director of a humanities institute in wisconsin, is conducting an epic survey of american unhappiness, a. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos goodreads. A dark entertainment infused by a bluesy yearning for a better america. On a microcosmic level, zekes family suffers a post911 transformation as well with the death of his father, brother, and wife all. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Jonathan miles, author of dear american airlines vivid as a searchlight gliding across suburban picture windows, my american unhappiness displays its author s saddened comic wisdom, as apparently selfeffacing as it is marvelously inventive and observant. The result is a smart, funny and exceptionally entertaining book.
Buy the kobo ebook book my american unhappiness by at indigo. By closely examining infinite jest, brief interviews with hideous men, and the pale king, jon baskin points readers to the work at the center of. In bakopouloss wan second novel after please dont come back from the moon, zeke pappas, the director of a humanities institute in wisconsin, is conducting an epic survey of american unhappiness, a project he considers his lifes work. Dean bakopoulos author author of the awardwinning debut novel please dont come back from the moon, dean bakopoulos is the founding director of the wisconsin book festival and a creative writing professor at iowa state university. Aug 07, 2011 collected from dean bakopoulos my american unhappiness, heres a short list of some of the things that might make you miserable. Dawn loves anything books, movies, tv thats just slightly askew. My american unhappiness is a major accomplishment from one of my generations finest storytellers, a profoundly funny, moving, beautifullydetailed, and ultimately hopeful portrait of our country in a certain moment. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos nook book ebook. Houghton mifflin harcourt jeff glor talks to dean bakopoulos about my american unhappiness, a darkly funny story about a man in wisconsin who aims to conduct an epic survey of american unhappiness. Bad choices and histrionics aside, zeke is a lovable lost. My american unhappiness dean bakopoulos author of summerlong.
Alix ohlin, author of babylon and other stories my american unhappiness is a major accomplishment from one of my generations finest storytellers, a profoundly funny, moving, beautifullydetailed, and ultimately hopeful portrait of our country in a certain moment. My american unhappiness, by dean bakopoulos cbs news. If you consider the comfort for most, the wealth relative, and opportunities many with which americans have matured, it is mindboggling to consider that. My american unhappiness shimmers with mischief and offbeat charm. Excerpt my american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. My american unhappiness hardcover andersons bookshop. The book, which is narrated by the main character, zeke pappas, has a lot going for it. Aug 07, 2011 the main character and setting of my american unhappiness manage to be imaginatively mundane. My american unhappiness is a smart, funny, charming novelan incisive critique of the way we live now, but armed, unlike most contemporary satire, with a big, generous heart. He is the director of the great midwestern humanities initiative gmhi. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos nook book. Jonathan miles, author of dear american airlines vivid as a searchlight gliding across suburban picture windows, my american unhappiness displays its authors saddened comic wisdom, as apparently selfeffacing as it is marvelously inventive and observant.
Bakopoulos has invented a man for all rainy seasonsa horny, heartbroken cousin of richard fords frank bascombe. The new york times found bakopoulos charming but the book too frivolous and arch. On a microcosmic level, zekes family suffers a post911 transformation as well with the death of his father, brother and wife all within a. By closely examining infinite jest, brief interviews with hideous men, and the pale king, jon baskin points readers to the work at the center of wallaces. My american unhappiness paperback the elliott bay book. My american unhappiness hardcover third place books.
And so dean bakopouloss second novel, my american unhappiness, is already at a disadvantage. My american unhappiness 2011, his second novel, is narrated by zeke pappas, a young man compiling an inventory of american unhappiness for a struggling nonprofit organization. Excerpt my american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos the. Buy a cheap copy of my american unhappiness book by dean bakopoulos. My american unhappiness and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. My american unhappiness paperback andersons bookshop. Its important for me to point out that the term longawaited has nothing to do, technically, with the quantity, of, well, awaitment, and i only mean to say that a small handful of people, many of whom i know personally and some of whom depend on me for financial support, have been.
Deans third novel, summerlong, will be published by eccoharpercollins in june 2015. Library journalmy american unhappiness is a smart, funny, charming novel an incisive critique of the way we live now, but aremed, unlike contemporary satire, with a big, generous heart. Jun 07, 2011 jonathan miles, author of dear american airlines vivid as a searchlight gliding across suburban picture windows, my american unhappiness displays its author s saddened comic wisdom, as apparently selfeffacing as it is marvelously inventive and observant. In recent years, the american fiction writer david foster wallace has been treated as a symbol, as an icon, and even a film character. Im not sure of the last time a book made me snort out loud, but my american unhappiness is one i will undoubtedly remember. Buy my american unhappiness reprint by dean bakopoulos isbn. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos book quote. Dean bakopoulos is an author from detroit, michigan. My american unhappiness paperback a room of ones own.
A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. My american unhappiness king county library system overdrive. Narrator zeke pappas is working on a bizarre oralhistory project called an inventory of american unhappiness. Despite its title, my american unhappiness is archly funny, a mix of deadpan sarcasm, whiskeysodden oneliners, and overthetop dramaticsthe sort of outrageous behavior that makes you both cringe and chuckle in disbelief that smart people can make such astoundingly stupid decisions. He is an assistant professor of english at grinnell college in grinnell, iowa. My american unhappiness paperback third place books.
The story of the books creation neatly dovetails with its themes. Its important for me to point out that the term longawaited has nothing to do, technically, with the quantity, of, well, awaitment, and i only mean to say that a small handful of people, many of whom i know personally and some of whom depend on me for financial. Dean bakopoulos is a writer to watch, a novelist to cherish. I began writing this book about two or three years ago, in a hotel room in. My american unhappiness, however, was and still is a more playful. Collected from dean bakopoulos my american unhappiness, heres a short list of some of the things that might make you miserable. But its insistence on its own profundity is wearying. My american unhappiness is a smart, funny, charming novel an incisive critique of the way we live now, but aremed, unlike contemporary satire, with a big, generous heart. My american unhappiness in some ways seeks to illuminate the nations post911 malaise, a temporary insanity and depression that affected people more deeply, zeke might argue, than theyre even aware. Dean bakopouloss my american unhappiness dean bakopouloss is the author of the novel please dont come back from the moon, a new york times notable book, and the recipient of fellowships from the national endowment for the arts and the guggenheim foundation. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos overdrive. To help keep our communities safe, all our retail locations are temporarily closed until further notice. Novels about downward spirals and crackups are generally gloomy affairs, but heres one that shimmers with mischief and offbeat charm. My american unhappiness king county library system.
The answers he receivesa mix of true sadness and absurd complaintcreate a. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos book club. Aug 16, 2011 im not sure of the last time a book made me snort out loud, but my american unhappiness is one i will undoubtedly remember. At times my american unhappiness is a winning distraction, a smart entertainment for smart guys. Oct 24, 2011 houghton mifflin harcourt jeff glor talks to dean bakopoulos about my american unhappiness, a darkly funny story about a man in wisconsin who aims to conduct an epic survey of american unhappiness. Zeke pappas, a man raised by a nowdeceased greek immigrant father and a chainsmoking mother. The main character and setting of my american unhappiness manage to be imaginatively mundane. Jun 12, 2011 my american unhappiness is narrated by zeke pappas, a twitchy man of late youth infected by class discomfort, highereducation fatigue and liberal guilt. Authors note 1 you are about to begin reading my longawaited second novel, my american unhappiness. Ordinary unhappiness returns us to the reason we all know about him in the first place. My american unhappiness by dean bakopoulos houghton mifflin harcourt 2010 design and illustration hardcover edition see also, paperback edition.
Like his fine debut, please dont come back from the moon 2005, this authors second novel acknowledges lifes dark side. My american unhappiness is narrated by zeke pappas, a twitchy man of late youth infected by class discomfort, highereducation fatigue and liberal guilt. He is currently at work on a nonfiction book called undoing, as well as a screenplay and a television pilot. My american unhappiness dean bakopoulos 97801510449. Dean bakopoulos a clairvoyant when it comes to the starbucks orders of strangers, a quixotic renegade when it comes to the federal bureaucracy, and a devoted believer in the afternoon cocktail and the evening binge. In bakopouloss wan second novel after please dont come back from the moon, zeke pappas, the director of a humanities institute in wisconsin, is. My american unhappiness is a smart, funny, charming novel an incisive critique of the way we live now, but armed, unlike most contemporary satire, with a big, generous heart. Mar 12, 2020 my american unhappiness is a smart, funny, charming novel an incisive critique of the way we live now, but armed, unlike most contemporary satire, with a big, generous heart. This weeks featured title is my american unhappiness, by dean bakopoulos. I got addicted to the misadventures of zeke pappas. Americans are fundamentally unhappy, and they are fundamentally unhappy because they suffer from institutional addiction. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Its selfdeprecating hero, zack pappas, earnest, kind, and brooding, with wry intelligence and deep compassion, is indelible.
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